1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new recording medium cassette and more particularly to a new recording medium cassette whereby a number of board terminals for transmitting various items of information relating to the recording medium cassette to the side of a recording playback apparatus are formed in positioning holes formed in the external surface of the cassette case. These board terminals are exposed from the positioning holes such that the board terminals can make contact in a reliable manner with connector contacts set up in the recording/playback apparatus when the recording medium cassette is installed in the recording/playback apparatus so that each of the various items of information can be read.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent recording medium cassettes such as, for example, tape cassettes, each of the items of information relating to the recording medium cassette, such as the recording contents, the type of recording media and whether recording is not permissible etc., is transmitted to the side of the recording/playback apparatus. Recording medium cassettes have therefore been used where a number of terminals for transmitting each of these various items of information to the recording/playback apparatus side are exposed from the external surface of the cassette case, so that control of recording and playback can be carried out in a way which is most appropriate for this recording media cassette.
However, one of the problems with using this kind of recording medium cassette is that when it is installed in the recording/playback apparatus, a prescribed part of the reading means on the recording/playback apparatus side, for example, the connector contacts, have to come securely into contact with a prescribed terminal on the side of the recording medium cassette.
Also, the recording medium cassette has a certain degree of freedom within the mechanism, known as the loading mechanism, for installing the recording medium cassette at a prescribed position in the recording/playback apparatus i.e. it is held with a certain amount of play to the right, left, forward and backward directions and the final installation position is decided by a position deciding mechanism.
The play of the cassette recording medium within the loading mechanism and the play in the direction of contact between the terminals and the connector contacts does not present a problem. However, shifts between the terminals and the connector contacts and shifts in the vertical direction as these contact positions are approached cause corresponding shifts in the position between the terminals and the connector contacts, which creates serious problems.
Depending on this kind of position shift, a connector contact may fall into a terminal part which is not its corresponding terminal part and the recording medium cassette may then be installed into its prescribed position without modification. This means that the correct information concerning the recording media cassette may not be transmitted to the recording/playback apparatus side. Also, depending on the circumstances, the connector contacts may change shape if subjected to an unreasonable amount of force, which may cause serious problems such as it not being possible to read the information thereafter.